DRES Art Studio 2016-2017

I have been exploring the TAB method of art education (Teaching for Artistic Behavior) and have decided to make some exciting changes for the coming year! If you are interested, here is some information about TAB:
http://teachingforartisticbehavior.org/what-is-tab/faq/

It is SPRING and since you are probably cleaning and getting rid of extra things you don't need, I thought I would take this opportunity to collect any extra unwanted items. My vision for our art classroom is to make it more like a working studio. This will allow students to make choices and explore materials at their own pace and according to their own interests. I would like to have separate areas for painting, textiles/fabric/weaving, collage, ceramics and sculpture/engineering. I would also like to create a "quiet corner" for reading,working independently and research. This is a blog with images that reflect my vision for this space. http://willowbrookart.blogspot.com/2015/03/welcome-to-our-choice-based-art-studio.html

Here is a list of items that I will be collecting, if you happen to have any of these lying around! Remember, we are all about reusing, recycling and repurposing!!! I would love for the students to play a part in decorating and designing this creative space.

LIST
old chairs
old dressers/cabinets or shelves
beads and buttons
magazines
paper towel/toilet paper rolls
egg cartons
milk jugs
water bottles
fabric scraps
sewing supplies
old picture frames
Christmas lights
yogurt containers or baby food containers
newspapers
plants
modeling clay
hot glue guns
blocks or pieces of wood
legos
tissue paper
wrapping paper or wallpaper
yarn or string
foam
anything that could be used for a still life i.e. plastic fruit or fake flowers
old shirts/aprons
cookie trays or cupcake trays
magnets
basically....you name it, I'm sure I can find a use for it.

2016 Art Gallery

Our blog has been quiet because we have been preparing for our annual art gallery! This year each grade represented a different artist. We hope you came out and enjoyed this special night!

Show Me The Monet

I post a lot of Kindergarten work because they finish projects really quickly. One of the things that I like about working with young children is that they have not developed a concept of "good" and  "bad", they are just happy to be making something! We studied the artwork of Claude Monet and learned about how he was interested in painting light. We practiced big words like "IMPRESSIONISM" and talked about what kind of colors we would use to paint water. Here are our paintings inspired by Monet's "Waterlillies".

Blind Contour Drawing

5th graders studied the work of Egon Schiele. We learned about contour drawing and the difference between LOOKING and SEEING. These are BLIND contour drawings, this means that students drew their partner without looking. We focused on drawing what we see and not just what we know is there. I always emphasize that a successful work of art is not always one that imitates real life. I love this exercise because I think that it really challenges students to work outside their comfort zone.

                                          

Egon Schiele

Action Jackson

As I have said before, process is very important to me. I think that it is important for students to learn through play and exploration. We studied the work of Jackson Pollock and talked about the difference between abstract art and nonrespresentational art. (Ask your child if they can tell you the difference!) I taped string to the end of paint brushes and students were free to create their composition by dipping the string in paint and then twirling it across the paper. This mimics the he way Pollock would dance across his canvases, splattering paint.

DRES Student

Jackson Pollock

You Can't Spell Heart Without Art

First Grade studied the work of Jim Dine. He likes to paint hearts (even when it isn't Valentine's Day!). Students created their compositions on 6"x6" squares that will be combined to form a mural.  

Jim Dine 

Arctic Antics

First grade and Kindergarten are studying Antartica (also in preparation for International Night). First graders drew penguins and cut them out. The entire grade collaborated to create an Arctic mural. Kindergarteners studied polar bears and learned about perspective/upright, sideways and
upside down .